Denis Villeneuve, from Quebec dreamer to Hollywood's new king of sci-fi

Villeneuve is surrounded by cast members and producers of his film Incendies at Quebec's Jutra Awards in 2013. It swept the ceremony and also went on to win eight trophies at the English-Canadian Genies. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

irector Denis Villeneuve feels lucky.

Not only has his film Arrival brought him to the Oscars for the second time, but he's currently hard at work on the sequel to Blade Runner.

It's the kind of sci-fi epic Villeneuve could only have dreamt of growing up in the small Quebec town of Gentilly on the St. Lawrence River. As a boy, he would lose himself in science fiction: the bold illustrations of European comic artists Jean Giraud and Philippe Druillet or films such as Stanley Kubrick's space epic 2001.

"I always loved storytelling, and as a child that was my favourite part of my existence — that bubble when I was reading," he told CBC News this month in Los Angeles.

Villeneuve considered a career in science, but he couldn't resist the urge to tell stories. His early films Maelstrom and Polytechnique showed a director unafraid to tackle difficult subjects.  

In 2010, Villeneuve shifted his focus to the Middle East to adaptIncendies, a play about a twisted family tree. It swept the Canadian film awards and was nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign language film category.

Hollywood began to take notice of the bold director. Success in Quebec had helped him establish his cinematic identity, but Villeneuve had bigger stories to tell.